JAKARTA (RambuEnergy.com) – Indonesia may soon have a floating solar power plant. A Uni Arab Emirate firm, Masdar, has conveyed to the Indonesian government’s interest to develop floating solar power plant in Cirata dam, Purwakarta in West Java.

Instead of installing photo-voltaic (PV) panels installed on land, the solar PVs will be floated on the surface of the Cirata dam.

Masdar has said it will team up with PT Pembangkitan Jawa Bali (PJB), a subsidiary of state electricity company PLN to materialize the plan.

On Tuesday, May 30, representatives of UAE and the Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) have conducted a meeting to draft an investment protection plan.

“Its (Masdar) plan will go ahead,” Deputy ESDM Minister Arcandra Tahar said both parties are now discussing the investment protection to assure the UAE investors. These will cover expropriation, nationalization and other issues..

Director General for New, Renewable and Energy Conservation of ESDM Rida Mulyana said the floating solar power will be developed in a large scale, up to hundreds of megawatt.

The floating solar power plant is cheaper compared to developing land-based solar power plants as the price is cheaper, there is no need to spend money to clear land.

The electricity from the solar power plant will be sold to PLN at tariff of a maximum of 85% of Basic Cost (BPP).

Nicke Widyawati, director for corporate planning of PLN, said both parties are now conducting feasibility study. She said floating PV is selected as it is a lot cheaper as there is no need to buy or clear land.

In UAE, Masdar develop solar power plants with electricity selling price of US$2.99 cent/kWh, or Rp390/kWh, far lower than the solar electricity price in Indonesia at US$15 cent/kWh or
Rp2000/kWh.

Nicke said Masdar should be able to develop cheaper solar power plant in Indonesia, although it is not as cheap as in UAE. (*)

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